Katt Williams Also Playing Liberty City’s Split Sides (in GTA IV)

A second stand-up found in the nigh-upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV is Katt Williams. Here’s a video of his appearance, which gives a bit more of an idea of what the club looks like. (The clicking sound you hear is the filmer’s video camera.)

Williams routine is interesting in that it refers to Liberty City by name multiple times and has a relatively long segment on how difficult it is to buy a car with bad credit. A sort of meta-funny bit for a game that’s all about stealing cars. Can you even buy a car in GTA?

Williams also references a second comedy club that he calls “Club Bullshit” and describes as very small. I’ll put this down for creating an atmosphere of a big city, but who knows? Maybe Liberty City can support two comedy clubs.

A couple of things can be deduced from the exterior:

Ricky Gervais and Katt Williams are likely the only two comics in the game, since they’re the only ones with posters beside the entrance.

2) The club entrance looks to be based on the Laugh Factory TImes Square, which has since closed and is now the TImes Square Arts Center.

I’m a little surprised considering Rockstar’s satirical tone that I haven’t noticed any details that making fun of stand-up comedy yet. Split Sides isn’t even a childish pun. It’s probably there, but it hasn’t come out yet. Perhaps in the form of a radio ads or maybe there’s a poster for a fake stand-up who’s a stand in for a famous real world name.

Oh, and from the comments on the YouTube video we also learn that you can’t shoot the comics. So save that shit for the hookers.

Well, call me cynical, but the combination of the comedians in the game with the constant barrage of the word “satire” sets off my B.S. detector. I’m starting to think that the main reason comedy is such a part of GTA4 is so Rockstar PR flacks—and others—can deflect criticism about the game.

In the past, they had to make long-winded explanations about how their game is not this/that/other.

Now, they can trot out the word “satire” as a way of defending their game.

I’m not too comfortable with this because in the end, this game will never be considered a great piece of satire and the comedy in the game will be barely memorable in 6 months to a year. So ultimately, comedy/satire is being used as a way to defend the game and any critics. Not a good deal at all.

You’re definitely right… having the game be considered comedy definitely deflect criticism. And a lot of the jokes are of the more juvenile variety.

That said, I think Grand Theft Auto is satirical (though not necessarily a satire). Much of the non-playing aspects of the game does make fun of the dark heart of the American city, how power corrupts and consumerism has swallowed up everything.

But, the game is an action adventure at its core. There’s stuff that’ll make you laugh in the game, but the games purpose isn’t to make you laugh - its not where the interaction lies. No game’s is. I think that’s impossible to make.

Dave-

I suppose those bits can be taken as such. I don’t think they’re too awful far from what Katt Williams does in the first place.

The intent is not for him to come out and do a hacky version of himself. I think both Gervais and Williams like the bits they’re doing (one bit from Gervais is in one of his own specials, I assume one of Katt’s bits is as well). They’re not doing them to make fun of stand-up, they’re doing them because they think they’re funny. I certainly found Gervais stuff funny - Williams I don’t think translated as well (at least in the first bit I saw).

I imagine that though they were motion captured, a little bit has been lost from both of them in these virtual performance. It might be interesting to find the live bits and put them next to the GTA bits and see what’s translates and what doesn’t.

Yeah, I guess it’s a matter of opinion. I just found all of the bits kind of bland and unremarkable, especially Gervais’ (and I usually find him very funny). Definitely not the best representation of standup comedy in 2008.

I know that Gervais and Williams aren’t trying to make fun of standup, but I think the GTA people selected these specific clips for that purpose.

Or, perhaps I’m looking into it too much.

Posted by sidd on 05/13 at 11:14 AM

Huh ?

GTA is an action game, pretty dark, but its also a life simulation .

Rockstar take those two comedians to make show in the game . This can put more “life” in the streets of liberty city, and you can laugh a bit between two roadrage or assasinations .

So ... where is the problem ? You guys are taking this way too seriously !!